Source: Boston.com, Wikipedia
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Read wiki on “Lame Duck”

In a bid to curtail the power of the office, [Massachusetts] House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo will ask lawmakers next week to vote on a rule that would return an eight-year limit to a speaker’s tenure, the same as the state Senate president.

The new Massachusetts House speaker has already got a good start in my book. I think one should always tip his or her hat to someone who seeks to limit the term of the position they are currently holding. I hope he is successful in his endeavor and that the powerful position can be limited somewhat.

Term limits are a funny thing. They are good because it keeps powerful political machines from taking root; instead of being able to be reelected indefinitely, a new person can eventually take office after a given number of years. This prevents an abuse of power. At the same time, however, it somewhat prevents people in office from doing everything that they wish to do. A good example for this is the office of the president. The Wikipedia article I have cited above (link here) talks about one of the downside of term limits, the lame duck status. Not only does the person have less political influence at that point, but also, the person in power can do things that (s)he may not be held responsible for. This would also happen, however, even without term limits and if the incumbent lost the next election. Even still, it would start later without the term limit.

I used to be against term limits for the president, but now I feel like every executive office should have them. This argument could very easily go both ways, however.